Fluid distributing apparatus



June 3, 1969 K. A. GRONLUND FLUID DISTRIBUTING APPARATUS or 2 I Sheet Filed Nov. 1, 1965 m V Q A a INVENTOR D 'aj Anders Grb'nLund "J WJ 29 h h June 1969 K. A. GRONLUND 3,447,576

FLUID DISTRIBUTING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 1. 1965 Sheet 2 of 2 Fig.2

I NVEN mR ATTQRNEY:

United States Patent 3,447,576 FLUID DISTRIBUTING APPARATUS Kaj Anders Grtinlund, Nykoping, Sweden, assignor to Aktiebolaget Atomenergi, Stockholm, Sweden, 21 Swiss company Filed Nov. 1, 1965, Ser. No. 505,892

Claims priority, application Sweden, Nov. 6, 1964,

13,449/ 64 Int. Cl. B65]: 43/56 US. Cl. 141--167 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The inventiOn relates to a fluid distributing apparatus, and more particularly to an apparatus for measuring out and distributing predetermined quantities of a liquid or a gas. It is an object of the invention to provide an apparatus which can handle a plurality of streams of a liquid or a gas, and which can measure out and distribute predetermined quantities of liquid or gas from all said streams simultaneously. 'It is another object of the invention to provide an apparatus containing as few moving parts as possible. It is another object of the invention to provide an apparatus which operates in a safe and reliable way and without leaking, the apparatus being therefore useful for the handling of dangerous fluids, such as radioactive solutions.

The apparatus is of the known type comprising an inlet valve assembly, an outlet valve assembly, a cylinder for each stream of fluid between the inlet and outlet valve assemblies, plungers in said cylinders, means for imparting a reciprocating motion to said plungers, and means for opening and closing the valves of said valve assemblies synchronously with the motion of said plungers for allowing fluid to be sucked into said cylinders, through the inlet valve assembly, and to be pressed out of said cylinders, through the outlet valve assembly. The improvement according to the invention is that each of said inlet and outlet valve assemblies consists of a chamber containing a plurality of compressible channels for said streams of fluid, means being provided for supplying a pressurized fluid to said chambers and for withdrawing said pressurized fluid from said chambers for compressing and releasing said compressible channels synchronously with the motion of said plungers.

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which disclose a liquid distributing apparatus according to the invention. FIG. 1 shows the entire apparatus. FIG. 2 shows the means for moving the receptacles for the liquid. FIG. 3 shows a cross-section through the governing apparatus controlling the movements of the various parts.

The illustrated apparatus contains a plurality of receptacles 1 to be filled with a pre-determined quantity of liquid. Three receptacles are filled simultaneously. The receptacles are situated on a table 2 which is fed, step by step, in the direction of the arrow by a feeding device 4. The liquid is supplied to the receptacles through tubes 3 connected to a distributing pump 5. This pump contains an inlet valve assembly 7 and an outlet valve assembly 6. These valve assemblies consist of a chamber containing three stop valves. The stop valves consist of two short tubes 8 and 9, mounted in two opposite Walls of the chamher, and a hose 10:: or 10b of rubber or soft plastic connecting the short tubes. Pressurized air can be supplied to and withdrawn from the chambers through ducts 11, 12.

The stop valves in the inlet valve assembly 7 are connected through tubes 14 to bottles 15 containing the liquid or liquids to be distributed. The stop valves in the inlet valve assembly 7 are connected to those in the outlet valve assembly 6 through ducts 13. Each duct 13 is connected to a cylindrical space 16, only one being visible, containing a plunger 17 fastened to a rod 18 having in its other end a plunger 19 engaging a spring 20. The lower position of the twin plunger 17-19 is defined by a set screw 21. Pressurized air can be supplied to the space below the plunger 19 through a duct 22.

The distributing pump 5 operates in this way. In the illustrated position the chamber of the inlet valve assembly 7 is pressurized, resulting in the stop valves 1017 being closed. The stop valves 10a of the outlet valve assembly 6 are open. Pressurized air is now supplied to the spaces below all plungers 19, resulting in the twin plungers 1719 being pressed upward to force the liquid in the spaces 16 through the tubes 3 to the receptacles 1. The pressurized air in the chamber of the inlet valve assembly 7 is now released, the stop valves 10b being opened. Pressurized air is now supplied to the chamber of the outlet valve assembly 6 to close the stop valves 10a. The pressurized air in the spaces below the plungers 19 is now released, resulting in the twin plungers 17-19 being pressed down by the springs 20 to draw liquid into the spaces 16 from the bottles 15. The described process is now repeated.

One row of receptacles having been filled, another row is brought into position by the feeding device 4. This device consists of a cylinder 23 with a plunger 24 which can be moved to the right by a spring 33 and to the left by means of pressurized air supplied through a duct 25. The plunger 24 has a cylindrical boring 26 containing a plunger 29 supporting a vertical pin 30 for engaging holes 32 in the lower side of the table 2. The plunger 29 is actuated downwardly by a spring 31 and upwardly by pressurized air supplied through a conduit 28, a flexible hose 28a and a duct 27.

When a feeding movement is to take place pressurized air is supplied through the ducts 28 and 25, in said order, moving the table 2 one step to the left. When the pressurized air is released, in the same order, the pin 30 will be pressed down and the plunger 24 will be pressed to the right, and another feeding operation can be made.

The pressurized air driving the distributing pump 5 and the feeding device 4 is supplied from a governing apparatus 34, illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3. It contains a shaft 36 rotated at a comparatively low speed by an electric motor 35. The shaft carries five cams 37-41 operating valves 4246 for pressurized air supplied through a conduit 52. The valves 42 and 43 are connected, via conduits 47 and 48, to the air inlets 28 and 25 of the feeding device 4. The valves 44, 45 and 46 are connected, via conduits 50, 49 and 51, to the air inlets 11, 22 and 12 of the distributing pump 5.

The cam 37 and the corresponding valve 42 is illustrated in cross-section in FIG. 3. A cylinder 53 contains a plunger 54 having a pin 55 engaging the cam 37. The cylinder communicates with the duct 47 via a channel 56, and with the atmosphere via a channel 57. Pressurized air is supplied to the cylinder 53, above the plunger 54, from the conduit 52. In the illustrated position there is an open connection between the conduit 47 and the atmosphere. Consequently, the spring 31 can press down the plunger 29, see FIG. 2. If the shaft 36 is rotated so far that the pin 55 engages the shaft, the plunger 54 opens the connection between the conduit 52 and the channel 56. Consequently, pressurized air will flow through the conduit 47 into the space 26, see FIG. 2, so as to lift the pin 30 to engage the holes 32.

The other valves 43-46 operate in a corresponding way. The cams 37-41 have such a position on the shaft 36 as to open and close the-valves 42-46 in the order required for the apparatus to work as described above.

What is claimed is:

1. A fluid distributing apparatus for the simultaneous distribution of predetermined quantities of fluid from a plurality of streams of fluid, which comprises an inlet valve assembly;

an outlet valve assembly;

a cylinder for each stream of fluid between the inlet and outlet valve assemblies;

a fluid-advancing plunger in each said cylinder;

means for imparting a reciprocating motion to said fluid-advancing plungers;

means for opening and closing the valves of said valve assemblies synchronously with the motion of said fluid-advancing plungers for allowing fluid to be sucked into said cylinders, through the inlet valve assembly, and to be pressed out of said cylinders, through the outlet valve assembly;

each of said inlet and outlet valve assemblies consisting of a chamber containing a plurality of compressible channels for said streams of fluid; means for supplying a pressurized fluid to said chambers and for withdrawing said pressurized fluid from said chambers for compressing and releasing said compressible channels synchronously with the mo-' tion of said fluid-advancing plungers; a table for carrying a plurality of spaced groups of receptacles for distributed fluid;

distributing ducts positioned along the path of travel of said table and leading from said outlet valve assembly to discharge the fluid contained in the cylinders into a group of such receptacles carried on said table;

pressure fluid-operated means 'for engaging and indexing said table beneath said dispensing ducts,

said motion-imparting means and said valve-opening and closing means and said table-advancing means being constituted by a governing apparatus for imparting a synchronous motion to the fluid-advancing plungers and the inlet and outlet valve assemblies and stepwise motion to the table,

said governing apparatus comprising a rotary shaft, a first set of cams arranged on said rotary shaft; a first set of valves operated by said first set of cams for controlling pressurized fluid to said fluid-advancing plungers and valve assemblies, a second set of cams arranged on said rotary shaft and a second set of valves operated by said second set of cams for controlling pressurized fluid to said table-advancing means for imparting stepwise motion to said table.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,765,817 10/1956 Grzenkowski et a1. 141-183 X 3,007,416 11/1961 Childs. 3,322,147 5/1967 Barrows 251-5 X 3,328,937 7/ 1967 Newman et al. 141-186 X LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner.

EDWARD J. EARLS, Assistant Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 74-817; 141-183, 242; 198 -35; 222-135, 334; 251-5 

